Southeast

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a five‑day diplomatic tour of Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar on April 26, underscoring Beijing’s push to strengthen strategic partnerships across Southeast Asia amid intensifying great‑power competition. • Analysts quoted in regional reports said Wang’s visit aimed to counterbalance growing US influence by reinforcing economic and security cooperation, including support for infrastructure and connectivity projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. • Wang affirmed China’s commitment to ASEAN centrality in regional affairs and pledged continued dialogue on maritime disputes in the South China Sea, while also offering political backing to military‑backed governments such as Myanmar’s junta.

• Alpaca, una plataforma de API de corretaje, nombró a Rohit Mulani como Presidente para el Sudeste Asiático y a David Grant como CEO de Alpaca Singapore. • Las incorporaciones al liderazgo tienen como objetivo acelerar el crecimiento en los sectores fintech y de trading de la región. • Este movimiento fortalece la presencia de Alpaca ante la creciente demanda de soluciones de trading integrado en los mercados de la ASEAN.

ByteDance is assembling high-end Nvidia chip clusters outside China, partnering with Southeast Asian firms for black-white computing systems in Malaysia to fuel AI development, reported March 13, 2026. The Wall Street Journal detailed efforts to bypass US export restrictions. This expansion supports TikTok parent’s global AI ambitions amid geopolitical tensions. US regulators monitor for compliance.